Wanna Bet?
by HellishHope
Summary: Remus was annoyed by the gaggle of giggling third years who had followed Sirius to the common room, but ends up with more than he bargained for when he accepts a bet.
1. The Bet

**Author's Note: Warning: This story contains romantic love between two gentlemen. I don't own any of the characters, too bad for me.**

It had been a busy day when Fifth Year Remus Lupin entered the Gryffindor common room. Once again he had more homework than he knew how to handle and once again he was out of chocolate. He had seated himself in a particularly plump chair and was preparing to begin his Potions homework when Sirius Black came strolling into the room followed by a gaggle of giggling Third Years. Apparently Sirius was entertaining them with tales of his daring deeds, which mostly consisted of tormenting Snape.

The other Marauders – James Potter and Peter Petigrew were following Lily Evans around trying yet again to convince her that James was dashing and worthy of kisses. Between Sirius's dramatics and the swooning of those silly girls, there was no way that Remus would be able to concentrate on his homework. _Time for me to move to the library._ _Besides_, he thought, _why would I want to watch a bunch of immature girls crowding around MY Sirius_? Remus blushed at his own thoughts. _What in the world is the matter with me? I don't care if Sirius wants to flirt incessantly with a bunch of airheaded bimbos. It's not my problem that he's so handsome and so suave and smells amazing and could do__** so**__ much better, but settles for stupid thin little blondes…._

Remus jumped from the chair as he turned a bright shade of crimson and it finally hit him like a truck. _Oh my sweet Merlin in a purple robe! I have a crush on Sirius Black… my fellow Marauder… Sirius Black… oh good Godric Gryffindor…. I've lost my mind. I've got to get out of here!_ He rushed from to the common room door and was about to make a mad dash for the library, when Sirius called his name.

"Remus Lupin! Where are you off to in such a hurry? You look like you just saw Snape in women's clothing."

Remus turned to face his comrade and fought to keep his voice even as he replied, "Well, Sirius it is **awful** difficult to think let alone study with you behaving like Casanova for all of your fan girls here." Remus indicated the crowd of half a dozen third years.

Sirius looked apologetic and replied, "Oh well… I did tell you yesterday that I would try to be less of a distraction, didn't I? I suppose that I will just have to escort these fin ladies downstairs. I promise that I won't let my admirers gather up here for at least another month."

Remus rolled his eyes knowing that it was too good to be true. There was absolutely no way that someone as arrogant as Sirius could go that long without showing off their mob of devotees. Remus commented doubtfully, "I really don't think you can pull that off."

Sirius, pretending to be hurt, clutched at his heart and replied, "You break my heart, Remus with your lack of faith in my word. I bet I can pull it off and I'll be so kind that if I lose… I'll give you awhile pound of chocolate. You can pick any kind you want."

Remus smiled at Sirius, "A guaranteed pound of chocolate… Make it milk chocolate with almonds."

Sirius inquired with a mock innocent voice, "Don't you want to know what you have to give me if I win?"

"Nope, I don't much care about things that will surely never happen, Black" Remus replied as he sat back down in the plump chair.

Sirius smirked his classic arrogant _I'm- Sirius- Black- and –that- makes- me- the -best –there- is_ grin and walked out of the common room door followed by his fan group and yelled as he left, "If you so sure about that, Remus."

Remus picked up his Potions work and was left alone with the essay that Slughorn had assigned and his thoughts, which included happiness at the thought of a whole pound of chocolate, but annoyance at the fact that Sirius was still wasting his time with some immature trollops. Although Remus had realized he felt more than friendship toward the handsome boy, he couldn't believe that he might possibly have a chance with someone so wonderful. _There is no way Sirius would understand. It's bad enough to have a crush on a friend, but to have a crush on a guy friend…. He already knows I'm a werewolf, but will he shun me if he discovers that I'm a __**gay**__ werewolf…. And what about the others? How would James or even Peter react? There's absolutely nothing I can do… Nothing at all._

Three weeks later, Remus sat in the common room playing solitaire when Sirius stole his deck of cards right off of the table. Before Remus could demand them back, Sirius began talking.

"So, Remus have you been enjoying the peace and quiet? Been getting all your homework and extra credit done like the perfect student that you are. In just one week, I will have won this bet and proven the brilliant Remus Lupin- star pupil- wrong."

_Has it really been that long since his little crowd has overwhelmed the common room? I can't believe I hadn't noticed…. It's not like I haven't appreciated the peace and quiet, but I was really looking forward to that chocolate and…. Wait! I don't even know what he wants if he wins… Knowing Sirius, he'll probably demand that I transfigure myself blue for a month or run streak around Hogwarts…. That's what Sirius Black would do…. The evil prankster that he is he'd think of something to embarrass me._ Remus pondered these things and questioned Sirius, "So… If you make if for another week, what is it that you want from me?"

Sirius stood and stretched lazily before looking down at his watch and commenting, "Well… Look at the time I'm supposed to meet James outside the Great Hall for his latest – "Get Lily Quick" scheme. I'll see you later." Sirius strolled out of the room and left one very nervous Remus to ponder what he might owe.

Sirius headed down to the library where he had arranged to meet James. Sirius sat down in one of the chairs beside his best friend and buried his head in his hands. "mmm….ca….working…not….can't do it….too hard….hate me…. He'll hate…. Ugh….grr….noo…." Sirius muttered incoherently into his hands as James motioned for him to lift his head off the table.

"Sirius," James began in his best _I'm-your-best-friend-listen-to-me-or-I'll-psychoanalyze-you_ voice,"You need to lift you head off of the table and use sounds to form syllables to form words to form sentences to state thoughts in English. Okay?"

Sirius lifted his head off the table and began his rant again without pausing to take a breath, "I-can't-do-this-it's-not-working-it's-too-hard-Remus-will-hate-me-he-won't-like-me-or-he'll-think-I'm-a-freak-and-then-I'll-have-split-up-the-group-and-you-guys-will-stick-with-him-because-he's-smart-and-I'm-the-one-who-thought-that-television-was-when-muggles-put-each-other-in-boxes-and-watched-them-during-dinner-and-then-I'll-be-alone-and-he-won't-like-me-and-I'll-never-get-to-hold-his-hand-or-play-with-his-hair-and-then-I'll-have-to-just-jump-off-the-Astronomy-Tower."

James shook his head and put his hand on Sirius's shoulder and said in his nicest voice, "It's really okay, mate. No one can understand muggle technology and you know I'll stick with you no matter what. Now besides that, it will work. I've seen the way he looks at you and you look at him and if he doesn't want to get you alone in the Room of Requirement then no one does. Now just listen to me for once, you can do this. After all- you are _the_ Sirius Black. There is absolutely nothing that you cannot accomplish except listening to McGonagall in Transfiguration. I've yet to see you accomplish that in all my years as your best friend, but you most certainly can do this. Just tell him that he lost the bet and as payment he owes you like you had originally plan. You two will go to Hogsmeade and have a great time. Okay, Sirius?"

Sirius groaned as if he was in physical pain, but nodded. He knew that he had to try and be as brave as he wanted everyone to believe that he was. Sirius thought back to the first time he had told James that he was bisexual. He had expected it to be horribly awkward and feared rejection, but James hadn't seemed to care at all.

His only reaction had seemed to be curiosity; he had asked Sirius a series of questions which included –"How long have you known? Do you prefer gals or blokes? Have you ever dated a guy? Have you ever kissed a guy?"

Sirius had answered all of these questions, "Since I can remember. I prefer gals. I've never dated a guy and I've never kissed a guy." Sirius knew that his best friend wouldn't steer him wrong.

One week later, Sirius skipping into the room humming what sounded like, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" awakened Remus. Remus put his pulled his pillow over his head and tried to ignore Sirius's antics, but Sirius was not in a mood to be ignored. He leaned over Remus's bed and smiled and said, "I won the bet, Remus."

**Author's Note: I like reviews! They make me smile, tell me if you liked it or if I completely messed something up. Thanks for your time!**


	2. The Winnings

**WARNING: This story contains romantic love between two gentlemen. Don't like? Don't read! (I do not own these characters because if I did then Sirius and Remus and the Ballad of Homosexual Love would have already been printed.)**

Remus groaned in frustration, he had spent most of the night before reading Jules Verne and had been looking forward to spending the day sleeping in late. "Padfoot, it can wait for a couple hours. You know – until it's an hour where people actually do something other than examine the back of their eyelids for holes," he commented as he pulled his blanket over his head.

Sirius leaned down and grabbed the blanket. With flair, he lifted it up and swung it over his shoulder- denying Remus of the warmth he needed to return to sleep. In a singsong voice he began, "Good day, sunshine! Good day, sunshine! Good day, su….."

He was interrupted by what felt like a fuzzy brick when Remus threw his pillow at the overly hyperactive youth. Sirius paused a moment in shock before pleading, "C'mon, Moony, get your arse up!"

"Why don't you go try to snog the Whomping Willow?" Moony queried in a desperate tone and he began trying to readjust himself on his mattress.

"A.) Because that would be suicide and I refuse to die before I run out of sexy. B.) Because that would prevent us from going to Hogsmeade. Now you can wake up or I can make a public announcement in the Griffyndor common room about my favorite werewolf and his penchant for sleeping with a teddy, despite having already worn off one of its eyes and both of its ears!" Sirius threatened.

Remus blushed brightly and protested, "You all _promised_ to never tell anyone about Snuggles! He's sensitive!"

Sirius leaned forward as if to whisper a reply, but then quickly ripped Snuggles from the loving embrace of his young master. He jumped backwards away from the bed and hide the brown bear behind his back, commenting in a singsong voice, "And! Now you can get dressed or the teddy will get it!"

Moony leapt from his bed shouting, "Pads! I **am** going to transfigure you into a rug! I'm gonna hex you into kingdom come! I'm gonna…." But just as the considerably-pissed-off werewolf reached his destination, the door behind Sirius swung open and James Potter stepped in with timing so perfect it had to have been planned.

"Morning, Moony. You're looking quite feral," the smiling young man observed as he snatched the teddy from Sirius' waiting hands with a nod towards the normally calm bookworm, slammed the door and fled with loud footsteps indicating he was rushing to the common room.

"Prongs! I'm going to tell Evans _everything_ I know if you don't get your traitorous arse back here right this second!" Remus threatened as he considered whether to rush into the hallway in his Marvin the Muggle underpants in order to stop his childhood companion from reaching the common room.

Sirius placed his hand on his shoulder and commented in what was meant to be a reassuring voice, "Don't worry, Moony! Prongs is under _strict_ orders to tell anyone who asks that Snuggles is his! I convinced him that Evans would think it made him look more sensitive or something. It took some time and _he's_ still too embarrassed to call it Snuggles, but as far as everyone else is concerned the mangy thing is his for the day."

Remus rolled his eyes in irritation, "Sirius, when in the name of Merlin's underpants, are you going to tell me what exactly it is you think you won?" he demanded as he thought. _I swear if he thinks I'm going to do something to make a bloody fool of myself like the time James, Peter and him reenacted the Three Musketeers in full regalia outside the Great Hall in an attempt to impress Lily…"_

"Just trust me, Moony. Have I ever steered you wrong?" Sirius uttered with what was meant to be a charming smile and a toss of his well-groomed black hair that simply served to assure Remus that this was not going to end well.

Later at Hogsmeade

Remus was tired. He had been dragged from Tomes and Scrolls where Sirius had actually attempted to appear interested as Moony attempted to explain to him the importance of a particular scroll that chronicled numerous herbs important to Healers. He marched on sleepy feet past Zonko's Joke Shop with amazement written plainly across his pale face at the thought that Sirius had neglected to even look twice at his favorite store. Instead, the normally calm youngster was realizing he had regained a sense of clumsiness that he thought he had outgrown with puberty as he had been forced to attend a rather awkward lunch at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop with Padfoot who kept staring at him as if he were the animagus' favorite midnight snack.

"Padfoot, tell me what you want already! I need to get on my homework," Remus hissed at the youth sitting across from him who was pouring tea into the werewolf's cup as if it were perfectly reasonable for two boys to be sipping from floral teacups with arms on lace doilies.

"Moony, my charming fellow, why don't you just enjoy yourself? This afternoon is on me," Sirius encouraged as he dumped another spoonful of sugar into his drink from a particularly pink sugar bowl with a shy smile.

Remus sighed loudly. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so worried about being seen with his fellow Marauder – probably when he had become obsessed with Willy Wonka and insisted on dressing the part and speaking in character last Halloween. _However, this is a different sort of embarrassment, doesn't he realize that this ridiculously gaudy joint is the haunt of happy couples? Couples! As in something that Sirius and I will never be because he could have literally any long-legged flirtatious witch at Hogwarts and even he's too sane to settle for a flaming homosexual werewolf…_ Remus pondered sullenly.

Sirius leaned back in his chair and sighed to himself. He was so desperate for the afternoon to go well and James had assured him that Puddifoot's was **the** place for couples and he had been fool enough to take the word of a madman who hadn't even been able to get one date with the girl he had practically **stalked** for years.

Leaving payment on the table, Sirius stood awkwardly and gave Remus the news that he had been waiting all afternoon to hear, "Fine, we can go," he surrendered in a disappointed voice.

Walking out the door behind the normally exuberant youth who was acting as if someone had doused his happy fire within, Lupin was slightly worried about his friend. It was downright unnatural for Sirius to be this moody without having recently talked to someone else with the surname of Black. "Pads, if you really wanted to eat there we can go back. I mean, it's not like we haven't done anything more embarrassing than eating together in what can **only** be considered a shrine to femininity," Remus conceded as he noted the sad smile the other boy had kept plastered to his face, as he had traveled down the sidewalk.

Sirius turned around suddenly, "It's not about **that**, Moony!" he exclaimed as he ran his hands down his face in defeat.

Remus placed a comforting hand on Padfoots' shoulder as he encouraged him, "Look, whatever seems to be bothering you – you can tell me. I mean, what's got you so upset? This day has been great, except for the journey to the land of pink and lavender."

Sirius' gray eyes lit up as his lips widened into a slight smile. "Really? You mean that? You had an okay time? I mean, I know that the tea shop might have been a little bit much, but that was James' idea and I thought he was being completely daft, but he insisted that it was **just** the place," he rushed in a hopeful tone of voice.

Moony was confused. _**Just**__ the place? For what? Hiding a flamingo?_, he wondered. "Sirius, I think **now** would be the perfect time to tell me what the point of this little excursion was supposed to have been. Tell me **what** you won."

Sirius closed his eyes tightly, inhaled sharply and braced himself as he rushed, "I-thought-that-the-best-possible-prize-was-a-….." then he broke down into what could only be considered an unintelligible muttering.

"C'mon, Sirius…. Whatever this day was meant to be, you can tell me…." Remus pleaded, half out of concern that his friend had **finally** lost his mind and half out of the fact that he hadn't been so confused since the last time James had felt the need to cross-dress.

"A-date-with-the-most-wonderful-person-at-Hogwarts-that-I've-had-a-crush-on-since-forever!" Black shouted without pausing for air before quickly turning heel and running away from the stunned werewolf who stood behind him with his mouth agape.

Moony couldn't believe his ears. It was too good to be true, but he had to find out exactly what his fellow Marauder had just confessed. He chased down his crush and grabbing his shoulder, managed to drag him to a complete stop. "Sirius, please…. You can tell me…." he urged, desperate for his most lovely daydreams to come true.

"Remus, I-I'm…. bi and I've had a crush on you….since….well forever….and James said that you felt the same, but I knew it was too good to be true, but I had dared to hope and it just…." he drifted off as he faced away from the other man holding his eyes as tightly closed as he possibly could.

Moony smiled broadly –he had dreamed about this moment and he considered that it might actually be better than finding the perfect chocolate bar. He reached for Padfoot's tanned hand as he whispered into his ear, "Pads, I'm gayer than David Bowie in Ziggy Stardust uniform and I've had a crush on you since I first saw you on the train to Hogwarts, I just didn't realize it until now.

Sirius opened his eyes, swung around to face the quietest Marauder and with classic Sirius bravado lifted him up from the ground in a tight embrace only to press their lips together with gentleness that he had never before displayed.

Remus would later describe that moment as having been magical – fireworks going off overhead, cherubs singing sweetly in the background and blue jays performing complicated dance routines to celebrate the beginning of a truly great romance, but the truth was he would not have noticed. He was too busy trying to learn to live without oxygen – just so he would never have to move his lips.

**Author's Note: Reviews are pretty and fun and make me smile and I appreciate them **_**so**_** much. Criticism is welcome – just make sure you tell me why you are criticizing. Hope you enjoyed it!**


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